Method and communication network components for managing media signal quality

Abstract

A media signal quality manager for controlling one or more parameters of a network node through which passes a media signal. The audio signal quality manager has an input for receiving information conveying a characteristic of the media signal and a processor that generates performance control information in response to the characteristic of the media signal. The performance control information can be conveyed to the network node for allowing the network node to adjust at least one parameter of the media signal that can influence the quality of the media signal as perceived by a user.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The invention relates to communication networks that handle media signals for delivery to a user, such as audio and / or video information, and more particularly to methods and network components to manage the network performance to achieve a desired media quality target. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] The management of the quality of a wireless / wireline media signal, such as voice calls typically requires the selection of a suitable point of trade-off in a multi-dimensional optimization space. The most common practice governing the capacity / quality trade-off in a packet network, wireless or wireline, is the configuration parameter that regulates the rate of audio data loss, such as the rate of frame erasures (in wireless) or rate of packet loss (wireline). This is best exemplified in wireless networks by the Radio Network Controller (RNC) parameter that controls the average frame-erasure rate in a Code Division Multiple Access (spread spectrum) type ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0009] In a non-limiting example of implementation of the invention one or more of the network nodes that are part of the communication path over which the voice call is established receive from upstream and downstream nodes information on a characteristic of the voice call that influences the audio quality of the call. For example, the characteristic that is reported may be the rate of audio data loss, such as the rate of frame erasure or packet loss. Another example of voice call characteristic that is reported and that influences the audio quality is the delay introduced in the audio data traveling over the communication path. On the basis of the reported voice call characteristic, the node can attempt to set performance characteristics for some or all of the downstream segments of the communication path such as to avoid or at least limit further audio quality degradation. For example, the node can set the performance characteristics for the audio data such that fewer packets or frames will be lost or giving priority to the audio data to avoid further increasing in a significant way the delay.

[0014] In a sixth broad aspect the invention provides a method for managing call quality in a network node passing data traffic conveying audio information associated with a voice call. The voice call is established over a communication path in the network and including two or more network links, the network node being located at a junction between an inbound link and an outbound link of the communication path. The method including receiving at an input the data traffic from the inbound link and generating performance control information on the basis of at least one characteristic of the voice call. The method further includes adjusting at least one parameter of the voice call at least in part on the basis of the performance control information to reduce degradation of audio quality as audio information is transmitted over the outbound link.

Problems solved by technology

For example, the characteristic that is reported may be the rate of audio data loss, such as the rate of frame erasure or packet loss.

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